7 Fight Till I Die (2)

[**WARNING: Mentions of blood and gore**]

"Kill... Kill... KILL!" The Charred ghoul lunged at Zaen while roaring like a mad titan.

Thankfully, there was quite some distance between them. Thus, Zaen was able to dodge the incoming attack without putting in much effort. The charred ghoul, however, couldn't control its momentum and ended up leaving his back exposed to Zaen. Zaen took the opportunity and threw one of the knives at the monster. His throw was perfect and the knife hit the ghoul at the back of its head.

[Your throwing knife dealt 90 damage to the Charred Ghoul.]

[Powerhouse (Level 1) and Ghoul killer effects applied. Damage against Elite and boss monsters increased by 10%.]

[Total damage dealt: 99]

[Charred Ghoul (Phase 1 of 3) HP: 2901/3000]

'If only I had 30 more throwing knives, I could've just destroyed it easy.' Zaen murmured as the charred ghoul charged at him once again.

Zaen repeated the same manoeuvre. Dodged whenever the ghoul charged at him and after creating some distance between them, threw a knife at it.

[Total damage dealt: 88]

[Total damage dealt: 110]

[Total damage dealt: 132]

[Total damage dealt: 97]

A series of notifications flashed before Zaen. He was continuously dealing damage to the ghoul but in the meantime, he had to make another plan to tackle it as well. His throwing knives weren't going to last for long. But more than that, he was concerned about something else.

'Is this guy stupid or what? I keep doing the same thing again and again, and yet he keeps falling for it?'

The more Zaen thought about it, the more unrealistic it seemed. Even the normal ghouls showed more signs of intelligence than this one. In a way, it was more difficult for him to take on 20 runner or hunter ghouls than dealing with this 'boss'.

Let's say even if the boss was slow-minded, how was he able to kill so many people? Even if the dead ones didn't have had military training like him, since they made it to the park, shouldn't they'll have to be somewhat good at handling a weapon? After all, it would take more than just luck to be able to fend off the creatures living outside the park.

'Something doesn't add up here.' He thought and threw the remaining knives at the gigantic monstrosity one after another.

[Total damage dealt: 100]

[Total damage dealt: 132]

[Total damage dealt: 127]

[Total damage dealt: 119]

[Charred Ghoul (Phase 1 of 3) HP: 1993/3000]

[You have enraged the Ghoul. The Ghoul is transforming into its second form.]

"Sure... make the strong beast even stronger. Great. Just great." Zaen mumbled.

He didn't have any throwing knives left with him. So the strategy he had been using till now was no longer convenient for him. His dagger was the sole weapon he had.

The ghoul, once again, had his back turned towards Zaen. Zaen wanted to use this moment to deal a significant amount of damage to the ghoul using his dagger. But before he could even move, the Ghoul let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Zaen fell on his knees, covering his ears. The wailing was too high pitched, too loud for him to even focus on keeping his eyes open. The pain he was felt was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. His head started throbbing pretty bad. It wasn't good. He was in a vulnerable position. If he didn't move now, he could end up dead within a matter of seconds.

[Remaining HP: 1900/2150]

Zaen didn't believe in God, but right now, he was praying to one. Praying to make the wailing stop. Blood flowed out of his nostrils and ears. Suddenly the wailing stopped. Zaen felt relieved for a second. But if the wailing had stopped that meant...

'Fck!'

He frantically opened his eyes. But the Ghoul was gone. He cautiously walked up to where he had last seen the ghoul, his dagger in hand. As he reached the place, he saw a massive hole in the ground. A hole big enough to swallow his entire house. Thanks to the darkness he couldn't see a thing inside the hole. He didn't have a torch with him and the only source of light around him was the street light near the gate.

"Fck my luck..."

Just as he uttered those words, a gargantuan hand ripped through the ground, lunging at him. He tried to dodge but he wasn't prepared for a sneak attack and got scratched on the face. It was painful, very much so, but it was bearable. All thanks to the adrenaline rushing through his veins.

[Remaining HP: 1670/2150]

[You're bleeding. You'll lose 43 HP/second for the next 10 seconds. Use a blood crystal to stop the bleeding.]

He didn't have these so-called blood crystals with him. But, thankfully he had a lot of bandages to heal him up. One bandage could heal up to 286 HP, because of the necklace he had equipped and had 2 seconds of cool down before he could use another bandage. So as long as he doesn't get hit again within the next 10 seconds, Zaen should be able to regain the lost HP by using a couple of bandages. Moreover, he needed to heal beforehand due to the creature's wailing.

As Zaen was using the bandages, the Ghoul crawled back up to the ground. Just like the notification had informed him, the Ghoul had transformed into a different being. Its blade-shaped hands had now been replaced by proper ones and were as big and muscular as its legs. it had also grown razor-shape nails. It truly looked like it had just crawled back from the depths of hell.

Zaen was clueless. He didn't know the creature's weakness and he didn't have anymore throwing knives with him. Just a lot of bandages, a dagger, and a mind as calm as a freak.

"I'm out of my mind to even think about doing it. Hopefully, Aeron can help me heal when I'm bedridden in the hospital."

Even in such a tense situation, Zaen couldn't help but smile at the thought. But no matter what, he would bring his brother back with him. That fact remained unchanged.

With the dagger in his hands, Zaen charged towards the ghoul. The Ghoul snarled at him, whipping its vicious-looking tongue at him. Zaen didn't dodge it though. He had had enough. No more running. Now was time to either go big or go home. The previous bleed effect was no longer active. Thus, Zaen allowed the tongue to hit him before wrapping it around his arm and tearing it in half with his dagger.

[Skill: Twin Edge triggered. Your attack dealt twice the usual damage to the enemy. Damage Dealt: 440 HP]

[Charred Ghoul (Phase 2 of 3) HP: 1553/3000]

[Skill: Corrosion triggered. The enemy will lose 150 HP over five seconds]

[Charred Ghoul (Phase 2 of 3) HP: 1403/3000]

The ghoul screeched in pain as its tongue was cut in half and took a step back. For the first time, Zaen could see a tinge of fear in the Ghoul as blood overflowed out of its mouth.

"So you do bleed." Zaen smiled throwing the remaining half of the Ghoul's tongue aside, "Let's make you bleed more then."